


Debt to be Paid

by ateezinutopia



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Angst, Demons, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2020-07-19 21:22:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19980706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ateezinutopia/pseuds/ateezinutopia
Summary: A book, a demon, and an innocent soul... a recipe for disaster?





	1. Debt to be Paid

**Author's Note:**

> Ooo who's the demon?

You didn’t mean to. One second you were pulling the book from the shelf to read up on some research for a paper and the next second you dropped the book, bending to pick it up and standing upright to meet the eyes of a man. But his eyes aren’t normal, they’re red with black lines running from the pupil outward, and they’re staring right at you. 

You gasp, your eyes widening as you nearly drop the book again, scrambling to grasp it and shove it back into the spot you found it. Your heart pounds in your chest and your eyes sting with unshed tears. The shock of what you’re seeing frightens you to your core and you struggle to swallow down the scream that is creeping up your throat and pounding at your ribs to escape. 

The man continues to watch you silently, his head tilted and his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. There is no trace of emotion on his face, but that scares you less than the way his eyes never leave you, pinning you to your spot with the intensity. You purse your lips, holding back the noises of fear and despair you feel, turning your head and letting a tear fall, unable to match the power of his gaze. 

“You released me,” the man says and his voice is rather animated, a shocking contrast to his appearance. 

“How?” You manage to choke out, keeping your eyes on the bookshelf next to you, but refusing to close them in case he decides to move closer to you. 

“The book opened and I was set free. Someone trapped me in there a long time ago and the only way for me to be let out is if the book was opened by the soul of an innocent being,” he explains in his unusual voice, continuing to watch you like a hawk. 

A horrified laugh bubbles out of you, spurring giggles of fear to fall from your lips until you can no longer control them. You cover your mouth to muffle your cries of fear as tears fall from your eyes freely, intriguing the stranger.

“You’re crying,” he states bluntly, no trace of sarcasm in his voice. The absurdity of how blatantly obvious his statement is sends you over the edge and you burst into manic laughter, forgetting your fear for a moment and turning to meet the unwavering gaze of the man. 

“Yeah, I’m crying,” you rasp out between laughs. You look behind you, spotting the small aisle that can lead you to the front of the library. 

You begin backing away slowly, but with each step you take the man matches your step, moving forward as you move backward, so there is no real space growing between the two of you. You swallow, meeting his gaze once again like you’re eyes are drawn to his. When you stop he stops and your chest seizes up, stopping all noises that were previously coming out of you.

“Why are you still here? I set you free, right? Don’t you want to leave?” You ask him, pulling at the hem of your shirt nervously. 

“I can’t. You set me free and now I’m in your debt until I repay you in a situation of equal or more importance,” he explains, watching you carefully as your eyebrows furrow.

“What are you?” You ask him shakily even though you know you’re not ready for the answer. You squeeze your eyes closed for the first time and wait for his voice.

“I’m a demon; I thought you would have caught on from seeing my eyes. I was sent up from hell to take care of some business among you humans - you know, catch up with some souls that we’re owed - but some do-gooder witch trapped me in that book and I’ve been trapped ever since. But now you have come along and set me free.”

You opened your eyes as soon as he started talking, surprised by his change in attitude and tone. Your mouth opens and closes as you search for your next words carefully. “You’re a demon?”

“That’s what I said. Are you not listening?” He snaps slightly, tilting his head at you and pursing your lips. 

You narrow your eyes but refrain from snapping back because you don’t know the extent of his temper. “Why are you in the debt of a human if you’re a demon? Especially such a,” you pause searching for the right word, “noble debt.”

“That would be the fun little condition that usually comes along when you meet a witch. They just love to spite the rest of the supernatural beings in any way they can,” he scoffs, crossing his arms. 

You blink a few times taking in all this information as fast as you can. “There are other supernatural beings?”

“That’s what I said,” he replies curtly. 

“Are there any other conditions?”

He sighs, rolling his eyes and letting his head fall back dramatically before returning his sharp gaze to you. “The only other one I’ve noticed so far is that you and I seem to be connected by an invisible bond.”

“What do you mean?”

He groans. “You ask an obnoxious amount of questions, little one. We are connected by an invisible bond that the witch has linked us with to be sure that I stay by your side until I pay the price of being released, which would be saving you, as I mentioned previously. Wherever you go, I go. Are you following?”

You raise an eyebrow at him, silently questioning his attitude. You decide to take a step back to test his words, and just as he said, when you take a step back his foot immediately follows. But what surprises you is that when you boldly take a step forward, his feet immediately take him back and when you look up to meet his eyes he looks confused for the first time. 

“Try to walk toward me,” you tell him and his eyes meet yours as he lifts his foot to take a step forward, but it’s like there is an invisible wall before him because his body remains in its place, unable to move forward no matter how hard he tries. When his shocked eyes meet yours again and the realization hits you both, your mouth lifts into a smirk. “You can’t get closer than a foot away from me.”

He grunts quietly, his head looking at his feet before snapping up to watch you with irritation. “It appears I can’t. Way to state the obvious, little one.” 

“So now I can confront you about your sudden attitude,” you say, your smirk becoming more confident as he inhales sharply and glares at you. 

“There is no sudden attitude, this is who I am. You just finally started asking the right questions. I couldn’t reveal anything to you until you began asking certain things, like a key in a lock. I’m still bound by this stupid spell, so I’m not sure what other limitations I have. And excuse you, but if you were trapped in a book for god knows how long I think you’d have an attitude too.”

“Not necessarily, I might have more patience than you. Perhaps that attitude is a demon thing.” A smile spreads across your lips at his stony expression, giggling when a growl of annoyance spills from his lips. Antagonizing your new book demon is a lot of fun, especially now, knowing you have a safety net - or rather a safety barrier - to allow you free reign to torment him as you please. 

“Don’t test me, little one. This protection you have won’t last forever,” the demon warns with a smirk. “And I’ll be happy to steal the innocent little soul that released me from the book.”

Your smile falls and a small frown takes its place. “Rude,” you mumble, avoiding his challenging gaze and taunting smirk. You cross your arms and the two of you stand there waiting for the other to speak or make a move, unsure of what to do next. 

“So is this it? Do you just stand in the back of a library all day and pout? This is what I have to look forward to?” He questions with a bored look and a slight quirk of his brow. “Wow, innocent souls really are the boring ones. I always said I wouldn’t believe it until I saw one and here I am.” 

You bite the inside of your cheek as he continues on about how boring innocent souls are, willing yourself not to fall for his trap and get into an argument. You decide to walk forward, making your way down the aisle and as you move to walk by him the barrier pushes him back into the bookshelf roughly, knocking down a few books. You giggle at the look of utter shock and disbelief on his face, but quickly silence yourself and turn around to continue walking when he turns his head to glare at you.

He grumbles, making his footsteps extra loud to be sure that you know how annoyed he is, but you continue moving forward, ignoring him. Every time he tries to stop and resist the pull you become aware of the bond connecting the two of you and working to keep him near you. The thought of this powerful, scary demon boy getting dragged along against his will by you is quite possibly the most hilarious thing you’ve ever experienced. Although you’d be the only one that thinks so. 

You turn into a store quickly to pick up a few things on your way home and you smirk at his groan of irritation. As you stare at the different soaps in the aisle, taking longer than usual just to spite him, you notice the looks the other customers are giving him and you realize that he is a demon walking around in public. 

You lean in as close as the barrier will allow and whisper, “Will people find out you’re a demon?” 

“No, to everyone else I appear normal and I’m assuming that applies to cover up the creepy distance we have between us as well, so I don’t look like a stalker. However, I could be wrongly assuming and everyone thinks I’m following you.”

“Well, you technically are.” You grab the soap you need and leave the aisle, forcing him to follow just to prove your point. 

“Oh, if only the big man could see me now,” he mumbles.

“What? You mean like Satan?”

“Yes, that’s exactly who I mean. If he saw I got myself stuck in this position - trapped by a spell and stuck with an innocent soul without a chance to corrupt it - I would be fired.”

“You can be fired from being a demon?” You question, suddenly curious about the inner workings of hell.

“Not fired like humans get fired, fired as in I’ll be set on fire and trapped in hell until they see fit that I’m ready to work again.”

Your mouth falls open and the soap falls from your hand. “What?” You quickly pick up the soap and move to the nearest register, turning around before reaching the cashier. “If we’re going to be spending a long time together I want to hear all about hell and your job as a demon.”

“No, that’s not happening.”

“We’ll see about that Mr. book demon.”


	2. Part II - Terms and Conditions

Obnoxious. Terribly, insufferably obnoxious. That is how you would describe the book demon; who you later found out has a name - Seonghwa. You only learned this sliver of information after days of pestering him until he finally agreed to cough up any information you wanted if you won a bet between the two of you. 

But you lost. Then you lost again, and again, and again until finally you won and he told you his name. However, you realized at that moment that you went through all that trouble to find out a piece of information that was minuscule in value compared to details you could have gotten about hell. 

Since the bet, he has given you little to no information about himself, hell, and what it’s like being a demon. That would have been fine with you if he had just kept his mouth shut, refusing to spill any answers to your endless questions, but the problem is that he’s constantly talking. He is constantly complaining about the human world, complaining about the stupid spell, getting into graphic detail about what he would do to the witch who did this to him, critiquing every single thing you do - his mouth is always moving. But he was skilled in the art of dodging your questions to ask his own questions that would get under your skin until you become flustered and aggravated - his favorite way to see you.

You snapped at him a few times, but that only ends in a silent treatment which scares you more than his threats. You know he can’t do anything to harm you, but then again you can’t help questioning if you really are safe. There is no way of knowing what it is that will break the spell. The only thing you know is that it must be of equal or more importance to releasing Seonghwa from the book, and to you that doesn’t seem like very much. He could do anything and then he might end up free from the spell and free to do anything he wants to you. 

You shiver at the thought and grab onto the countertop, leaning down to catch your breath. The thought of what he could do to you once he’s free has been keeping you awake most nights and if you do fall asleep you’re plagued by nightmares that consist of all the ways he’s described killing the witch and if that could be you. 

In, out. In, out. You breathe slowly, carefully, trying not to awaken the sleeping demon only a foot away. 

He sits on the toilet seat with his head down, lightly snoring while you face the mirror, getting ready for class. You’ve managed to get out of classes for the last week, doing most of it online and pretending to be sick so you and Seonghwa had time to discover more aspects of the spell and the bond to see what you can and can’t do. You discovered yesterday that he can control when people see him which, apparently, he could do before as a demon, but he wasn’t sure if he still could because of the spell. That was the most recent time you’ve snapped at him and you decided you were going back to school, much to the displeasure of the cranky demon. 

You take one last deep breath, standing up straight and looking at yourself in the mirror, noting the dark circles and bags under your eyes. After about twenty minutes of covering your sleep-deprived face and fixing your ratty hair, Seonghwa begins stirring in his sleep. You watch him out of the corner of your eye closely, keeping an eye on his movements. He stirs once more before becoming still again, nothing but a mumble falling from his lips. You release the breath you didn’t know you were holding and unclench your fists, wiping the sweat from your palms onto your pajama pants. 

When you’ve finished doing your best to cover all signs of sleep deprivation on your face, you quickly change into the outfit you brought with you, hoping he doesn’t choose that moment to wake up. But it’s like he sensed you were undressing because just as you’re pulling the shirt over your head he raises his own, blinking sleepily at your half-dressed form. 

You shriek, turning around to jump in the shower and pull the curtain shut behind you, but you slip slightly from the water left over from your shower, nearly smacking your head into the wall. You manage to steady yourself against the wall, but you must have strayed too far away from Seonghwa because suddenly he smacks into the curtain and the tub, unable to slow himself down after the pull of the bond. His legs hit the tub with a loud thud and you wince at the sound, imagining the pain.

But you don’t have to imagine for long because as soon as he hits the tub, he’s falling forward pulling the curtain down with him and falling on top of you. You scream in surprise, falling to the floor of the shower and grunting when your back takes the brunt of the fall as well as Seonghwa’s weight. It only takes a moment for you to realize what happened and when you push the curtain off your face to see Seonghwa’s face directly in front of yours you scream again, more out of fear. 

“How are you laying on me right now?” You shriek and Seonghwa’s face scrunches at the sound, giving you a look of disgust.

“Why did you run away that fast in the first place? I practically flew off the toilet seat!”

“Because I didn’t have pants on! Oh my god, I still don’t!” You respond with a gasp, thankful the curtain is covering you. 

“God, I have no idea how this stupid bond works, or how it’s now altered or broken or whatever it is that’s happening, but I’m really tired of it.”

“Can you get off me?” You manage to question, despite the weight on your chest. You sigh in relief as he lifts his body off of you, glaring down at his now wet clothes and wincing as he rubs his legs and arms. You slowly sit up, groaning in pain and whining about how you’re going to have to change your shirt.

Seonghwa scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, must be terrible for you,” he mocks as you stand up, keeping the curtain around your waist in a makeshift skirt. Seonghwa moves to step out of the shower, but he can’t move. He sighs, closing his eyes and pinching his nose. “So I still can’t move a foot away from you.”

“But you can move within the space now,” you finish, glancing warily at the space between you two.

“God! Those stupid witches. I told you, all they want to do is cause trouble for other supernatural beings and I would love to knock the smugness off their faces because I just know they’re finding this hilarious. They probably found out that I got out of the book and they decided to alter the spell to cause trouble,” he explains in a rant, throwing his hands around and making faces.

“So they can change or alter the spell whenever they want?”

“Yes, apparently. I’ve only heard rumors about it and I’ve never known the full extent of their powers because I try to stay away from them for this exact reason. But they just can’t seem to help themselves. They’re always getting involved in the business of others,” he complains, turning his gaze on you. 

He reaches his hand forward and flicks your forehead, but he immediately starts shouting, pulling his arm away quickly. He grabs his head in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair roughly as he drops to a crouch. You watch in stunned silence as he continues shouting and panting from whatever is happening to him.

“Are you okay? What’s happening? What’s wrong? Is it the witches?” You question rapidly, holding the curtain in one hand and using your other to carefully push his head back to scan his face for any injuries. Though considering he’s been nothing but rude and annoying you’re not sure why you’re so concerned. But you also know you can’t just stand by and watch someone in pain, it makes you feel terrible.

As soon as your hand moves down to his temple where his hands are, he suddenly relaxes and his hands fall to his sides. His body slumps forward onto his knees, his hands barely reaching out to catch him from landing face-first on the floor of the tub. You quickly step back, watching his back heave as he gasps for air.

Minutes pass before he finally stands back up, his eyes downcast. “The bond from the spell is a lot stronger than I had originally thought. I’m not sure what the exceptions, limitations, and rules are anymore, especially if the witches can alter it as they please.”

You nod along, listening to each word carefully and letting the information sink in. “So I’m assuming if you touch me whatever that was will happen, but if I touch you nothing happens.”

“I think if I’m hurting you in some way, even if it doesn’t hurt but the intention is to harm you, then the spell makes my brain feels like it’s exploding inside my skull,” he says, rubbing his hands through his hair again. He drops his hands, watching you closely for a second before reaching out and poking your arm. When nothing happens he nods. “Exactly.”

“Wow, this is a lot more complicated than I had originally thought.” You sigh and rub your forehead as Seonghwa stares at the wall in deep thought.

“I have to think like a witch. They like to put little rules and conditions in all of their spells, so I have to get in their head and think about the inner workings of the bond through the way they would have made it.”

“Wow, you know a lot about witches.”

“A lot, but not enough. Are we going to keep standing in the tub?” He asks suddenly and you’re caught off guard for a moment, having forgotten that you’re both still standing in the shower and you only have a curtain wrapped around your bottom half. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, we can leave. Let’s go back to my room, so I can put some pants on, then we can discuss the bond some more and see if we can figure out all the terms and conditions.” You climb out of the tub, bunching up the curtain to give your feet room to walk. Seonghwa follows close behind and you frown at the proximity, suddenly all too aware of his presence.

You stop at your dresser and look at Seonghwa expectantly. He raises his eyebrows dramatically, questioning your pause in movement and you roll your eyes. “I need to change and you need to turn around.”

He scoffs, turning around dramatically. “Is that really important at a time like this? You get hung up on the weirdest details. Like who cares if you’re not wearing pants? What really matters is the fact that the witches know I’m out of the book and they’re clearly changing the limitations of the bond. That means they can continue to change it from wherever they are, whenever they want to.”

“First of all, wearing pants is important.” You quickly pull the first pair of stained sweats from your drawer, slipping them on as soon as you let the curtain drop. He sighs loudly and you glare at his back before crossing your arms and turning toward his form, silently watching him. “Second of all, I’m aware of our looming problem and the fact that we’re both essentially pawns in this game the witches have created. Let’s not forget that I am the true victim here.”

Seonghwa whips around, narrowing his eyes at you and stepping forward. “You? I’m the one that was trapped in a book and now I’m bound to a human that watches animal videos like their life depends on it! I think you’re forgetting that I’m the one that is trapped!”

“Excuse me! I am suffering just as much as you!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Yes, I am! I, unlike you, didn’t do anything to deserve this. All I did was open a book and now I’m stuck with a judgemental, cranky, psychotic, self-absorbed demon. You’re the one that comes up from hell and corrupts souls, then takes them back down with you.”

“That’s my job! I’m an immortal demon whose only purpose is to steal and corrupt souls, of course, that’s what I’m doing! Now after I suffer through all of this, I’m still going to have to go back down to hell and suffer through a punishment that could last who knows how long.”

“Oh my god, as if you haven’t mentioned that a hundred times in the last week. I get it! You’re gonna suffer in hell, but that’s not my fault and it’s not my problem. I’m not the one that trapped you in the book, the witches did that! Whatever grudge you hold with this situation is between you and them, not me, so if you don’t mind maybe you can stop being so rude and start being a team player.”

He scoffs at you, crossing his arms. “Be a team player?”

“Yeah, genius. For being stuck in a book for so long, you’re not really using your brain. We just got new information about how our bond works and we know a little bit more about the way the witches control and adjust the spell. If we work together we can try to figure out more about the witches and possibly find a loophole.”

You shove past him and grab your coat, storming to the door. Seonghwa grunts as the bond forces him along with you, making him take quick steps to keep up with your pace. “Where are we going? Are you still going to your class?”

“Fuck that class,” you tell him, turning around to meet his eyes as you grab your keys and reach for the front door. “We’re going to the library to check the book you were trapped in, then do more research about witches so we’re not just blind idiots complaining about the situation.”

You throw open the door and as Seonghwa watches you lock it, then continue down the hall with flames in your eyes, he begins to consider the idea of working together and coming to a truce for the sake of escaping this spell. He also finds himself intrigued by the fire you have hidden in you, wondering where it has been all this time. He’s become used to seeing you so timid and if you stay fired up and determined like this he has hope that you two can find a solution.


	3. Part III - Let the Games Begin

You’ve been flipping through book after book for three hours and you still can’t seem to find anything relevant to your situation, though you’re not surprised. You’re fully aware of how… unique your situation is. 

Silence surrounds you and Seonghwa as he sits beside you, exactly a foot away, flipping through every book you toss aside “to be sure you’re looking thoroughly”. If you weren’t so focused you would have been more irritated and given him a piece of your mind instead of a simple eye roll. 

But a certain thought has been rolling around inside your head since you arrived at the library: why has he agreed to acting civil? The question leaves your mouth before you even realize you’re asking it. “Why did you agree?”

“To what?” He replies not even a beat later, his eyes staying glued to the pages in front of him. 

“Why are you willing to be civil and work together when you seemed so adamant about being against me and hating me?”

“I’m a demon, not an idiot.”

“Who lied to you?”

“What?”

“Who lied to you and told you you aren’t both,” you reply, smirking as his eyes narrow at you. 

“What happened to acting civil, huh?”

“After everything I’ve had to suffer through with you, I deserve a few digs at you without any attitude.” You turn your attention back to the book in front of you, analyzing each and every word to be sure you don’t miss any crucial information. 

You can feel his gaze burning the side of your face and you make a point of purposely ignoring his staring and avoiding his eyes. The whole point you’re here anyway is to research, so you don’t intend on wasting any time. 

“What made the fire finally start burning?” He questions, returning his gaze to the book, flipping to the next page. 

Your brows furrow as the words you were reading are suddenly forgotten. “That makes less sense than my question.”

“You’re a passive, timid person and you were quick to accept the reality of the situation without considering possible loopholes or solutions until this morning. But something got the fire burning under your ass to get you to take charge, what was it?”

You stare at his profile, wondering where all of this is coming from. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that the demon I’ve been tethered to can now move within the one-foot boundary set between us.”

“But I can’t harm you, so what else is it?”

“Well, for your information, I was never fully accepting of the fact that I’m stuck with a demon all because I had the unfortunate luck of opening a book, but there was nothing I could do, and at that time we still didn’t fully understand all the boundaries, limits, and conditions of the spell. And you’re unaffected because you’re a demon, but as a human with the oh-so-tempting pure soul, it’s been nearly impossible to sleep and function in my own home, especially with the constant criticism and judgment I’ve been receiving.”

“Ok so you’ve never been comfortable around me and would rather I return to hell more than anything, that’s expected because not everyone can handle our fiery personalities, but that still doesn’t answer what got the fire burning under your ass?”

You scoff and roll your eyes. “Your personality isn’t a topic I think we should discuss at a library, but to answer your question: the realization that the spell can constantly be changing at the discretion of the witches means that we have opportunities to use the changes to figure out a loophole or potentially turn it around on them, so it benefits us instead.” 

He finally turns his head to look at you, his red-black eyes staring into yours intently. He leans back in his chair, eyes still on you, and if you’re not wrong you swear you can see signs of intrigue and interest in his features. “So you’re telling me you think we can use the spell to our advantage if we understand the game we’re playing?”

“Isn’t that how all games work? You’re never going to win if you don’t understand the rules and you’re doomed to fail if you don’t play your part and do everything you can to win. The witches were playing sneaky because we didn’t realize we were in a game. We believed we were trapped in a box, just toys to be played with while they had their fun, but now we know that there is nothing that is permanent about our situation because they can change the spell as they please.”

His eyes widen at your words, listening intently to everything you’re saying and you have yet to see him so invested in anything you’ve ever said. He shifts his body, leaning on the table as his eyes continue to pierce into you. 

“They might be in control of the spell, but if we pay attention closely and do as the rules say, we can begin to understand the game and our opponents, giving us a chance to win and free ourselves from the spell. It will be difficult, but if we play this right and work together against our enemies instead of arguing with each other, then we might not need to wait for some big life-threatening moment.”

Seonghwa leans back in his chair, mouth parted ever so slightly as he processes your words. “I’ve never worked with a human before, but luckily I hate witches more than I hate humans, so I’d much rather work with you than be trapped by one of their spells.”

“Oh, yes, we are super lucky that your hatred can only be spread so thin,” you mock him, rolling your eyes before once again returning your attention to the book in front of you. “But we still need to be sure that we know everything we can about witches and their powers because we won’t know what we’re up against otherwise.”

He stares at you for a moment longer before turning his body to face the table once again, resting his head in his hand. He continues to glance at you every once in a while, but you ignore his wandering eyes, focusing on the words before you. 

Another few hours pass and the words you were once reading begin to blur on the page as your eyes cross from over-exertion. You keep trying to blink the blurriness away and refocus your eyes, but it does nothing more than make your eyes watery.

You sigh softly, sitting back in your chair and doing your best to dab at the tears falling from your eyes. As you’re attempting to keep the liquid from ruining your makeup, you feel a presence near your head and you move your hand to find Seonghwa only a few inches away, examining your face closely with a look of disgust on his face. You jump in surprise, not expecting him in such close proximity. With a hand to your chest and a deep exhale, you meet his sharp eyes with your wide ones. 

“Are you crying?” He sneers, his face twisting unpleasantly and you wrinkle your nose. 

“No, but I wouldn’t recommend making that face, makes you look like you just escaped a haunted house. Zero out of ten wouldn’t want to see that again,” you reply without even looking up, focusing on stacking the books that you’ve decided to check-out and take home. 

“Excuse me?” He scoffs.

You slide your bag on your shoulder and gather the books, holding them close to your chest. “You’re excused.” You smirk at him as his lips turn into a thin line and his nostrils flare, only adding to your amusement. “Oh, come on, book demon. Things are finally going our way, don’t get soft on me now.” You turn away, heading for the front desk and Seonghwa is forced to follow you.

His words still ring in your head from your conversation hours ago and you wish that you could just ignore them. Ignore him. The way he called you passive and timid rubbed you the wrong way, leaving a bitter taste in your mouth. You’ve always known you’re more on the reserved side, choosing to observe more than participate, watching others have all the fun. But you didn’t think you were passive, in fact, you’ve always stood up for yourself… or at least you’re pretty sure you have. 

The fact that his words are even making you question who you are is bothering you. He’s made it very clear that he thinks you’re a pushover, that you don’t know how to be assertive, and that you lack a backbone, but you always ignored him. But for some reason this time it’s sticking with you and you don’t like the way his assumptions are making you question yourself.. 

You huff as you reach the counter, pushing your thoughts away and carefully setting the books on the counter as the librarian looks up at you and smiles. Her smile is wide and bright, giving her an approachable, friendly look. She looks young, not much older than yourself, and when she asks for your library card, her voice is higher than you imagined, but not obnoxiously so. As she scans your card and the books, you notice her eyes lingering on Seonghwa and your eyes widen slightly as you realize she’s checking him out.

You resist the urge to laugh because little does she know he’s a who-knows-how-old demon that is currently tethered to you by a spell and, quite literally, has a date with the devil as soon as you two break the spell. The girl continues to glance at Seonghwa and you turn your head to see his face, but as soon as his eyes meet yours he narrows his eyes at you. He’s clearly still bothered by your previous comments, so you avoid his gaze and turn back to the woman who slides the books back to you and tells you to have a nice day.

You collect the books and head toward the exit with Seonghwa hot on your heels. After about a block of this, you stop and he smacks into your back roughly. You turn around and his glare only intensifies. 

“What the hell?”

“You’re walking too close and I would appreciate you not doing that.”

“Well I would appreciate you not bothering me with your annoying personality,” he snaps back, the black in his eyes taking over the red as his temper flares. 

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah, neither of us have winning personalities, I’ve heard this a thousand times.” You shift the books to your other arm and jut your hip out, placing your hand on it as you stare at him. “What was that in the library?”

“What? Your attitude?”

“No, the woman was staring at you like she wanted to eat you, but you ignored her. What’s up with that? No demon action for you? Can demons even get any action?” You question out loud as you turn to continue walking, half asking yourself because you have no knowledge of demons and your curiosity is starting to reach its peak. “Would demons even be any good? Do you even have a-”

He groans loudly and storms up beside you. “Why are you so annoying?”

“Why won’t you tell me about demons?”

“That girl reeked of wet dog,” he says, side-stepping all your other questions. “And she knew I was a demon.”

You whip your head to the side in shock. “How? And no she didn’t, I thought she smelled good.”

“That’s because you’re a human with a weak nose. Illusion spells like this only work on humans, not other supernatural creatures.”

Your mouth forms an “o” and your eyes widen. “She was a supernatural creature?”

He nods, keeping his eyes forward. “She was a werewolf which means she could see my eyes and she knew I was a demon. That’s why she was staring at me. I ignored her because I didn’t want her asking questions or getting intrusive. Werewolves are always trying to insert themselves where they don’t need to be.”

“So there are other supernatural creatures just… around?”

“Unfortunately, yes. A lot more than you’d think because we’re all good at blending in and living normal lives. Well, most of us. Demons don’t lead normal lives because we’re always on a job or down in hell.”

The two of you wait to cross the street and you turn to him, fascinated by all this new information. “Wow. So it’s possible that I’ve met other supernatural creatures?”

“You’ve probably met just as many supernatural creatures as you have humans. There are so many different species and subspecies that there isn’t a doubt in my mind you’ve probably even had a few as friends or acquaintances.”

Silence surrounds the two of you as you cross the street and make your way back to your apartment. Your mind is flooded with questions and wonder as you process all the new information you’ve learned. You were never one to believe in supernatural creatures. Not that you didn’t think it was possible, you just never gave it much thought because your mind was always focused on your reality instead of the unknown.

You reach your apartment building, entering and heading straight for the elevator. Your mind is swirling with thoughts the entire ride up to your floor and even as you unlock your door. But you’re suddenly pulled from your thoughts as you hear Seonghwa’s voice from behind you. 

“Demons can do anything humans can do, but better.” 

Your brows furrow as you try to understand what he’s saying, but fail. “Huh? I didn’t ask.”

“Yeah, you did. Before I told you about the librarian you asked if demons would even be any good and the answer is yes and we’re better than humans because everything we do is better than humans.”

You smirk at him, raising an eyebrow before you roll your eyes and walk toward the dining room table to set down the books. “Okay, whatever you say. But I find it incredibly ridiculous that that is the only question you chose to answer.”

He shifts closer, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, well luckily I don’t care what you find it.”

You bite the inside of your cheek as you move to the kitchen, gathering supplies for dinner. He stands just outside the kitchen, watching you silently as you move around, humming a tune to yourself. 

The realization that you’re playing some sort of twisted game with the witches opened your eyes to the fact that you’re doing the same thing with Seonghwa. The two of you are in a game that you didn’t realize you were playing and you had been operating blindly until this afternoon. He always gets what he wants and gets under your skin because he knows how to have the upper hand. He knows how to play this stupid game. 

You’ve noticed that playing games is a popular pastime among the supernatural creatures. 

Now that you know you’re playing a game you don’t intend to let him win so easily. If you ignore him it’ll get under his skin because as much as he says you’re annoying, he can’t stand being ignored, even if it’s you. And you’re not going to entertain the fact that he’s a demon anymore. You’re going to treat him like you would anyone else and stop asking questions about what life as a demon is like because it gives him power over you and you’re done playing his game with his rules. You hate that your life has become a maze of games and confusion with not one, but two different supernatural species, but you know there is nothing you can do about it at this point.

You begin rinsing vegetables, taking your time and switching to a new tune to hum to. Seonghwa’s impatience and irritation are radiating off him in waves, but you continue with the task at hand, not even sparing a glance his way. Your disinterest in him has him becoming antsy as he sits on a chair at the edge of the kitchen. He has no way of leaving to entertain himself in some other way, so he’s forced to watch you as you cook and pay him no mind. The thought of just how much power you actually have in this situation brings a smirk to your face and you move your head slightly so he can’t see it. 

You move to the counter behind you as you begin cutting the vegetables and just as the knife slices through the first carrot Seonghwa appears beside you, placing his hand over the knife to stop you from lifting it again. You glance up at him and he’s glaring down at you, his lips twisted down into a displeased frown. He looks like a pouting toddler and the sight has you throwing your head back as boisterous laughter leaves your mouth and you cover it with your free hand. 

When you compose yourself you return your gaze to his and you notice the weariness in his eyes. “Are you five?” You ask through a chuckle.

His head jerks back like you smacked him and he gives you a look similar to the one in the library and you wrinkle your nose at it again. “Excuse me?”

“You’re making the ugly face again, maybe you should get that checked out,” you respond, ignoring his comment at your previous statement. “Actually! If you waltz into hell with that look you might just scare everyone into getting you out of your punishment. And can you move your hand please, I don’t have time for your pouting.”

You push his hand away, shooing him as he steps back in shock, staring at you like you grew a second head, which you, in fact, did not, but you did grow some balls because Seonghwa is just as surprised by your shift in attitude as you are. You go back to cutting the carrots and he scoffs.

“Pouting?”

“Yeah,” you look at him and use the knife to gesture at his face, “that look on your face and the minor temper tantrum just now would be classified as pouting, so if you’re not careful I might just have to start tucking you in at night if you’re going to be acting like a child.”

His eyes widen more than you’ve ever seen them and you have to hold back the laughter threatening to slip out as you turn back to the vegetables. With a huff he leans back against the wall, crossing his arms and staring forward. You have him right where you want him and you smirk to yourself, enjoying the way this day has turned out, even if it started with a terrible change in plans.

You intend to win both the games you’re playing.


	4. Part IV - The Other One

Playing Seonghwa’s game has its pros and cons, something you’ve had to learn the hard way. Pro: he is far less hostile toward you. Con: he is incredibly persistent. Pro: you’ve gained some sort of upper hand or at the very least some equality. Con: he won’t stop talking. 

The list could go on and on with the benefits and downfalls that have begun to affect your everyday life, but the most prevalent change you’ve noticed is just how desperately he needs attention. His intense desire to gain your attention in everything he does almost makes you believe that he feeds off of the attention of others, but considering you know nothing about demons, he just might. And if you thought he was acting like a child the first night you stopped giving him all the attention he craves, then you were in for the surprise of your life. 

The two of you spend every second of every day together, but it’s not enough if he’s not your sole focus. He always wants more, and even more so, he wants what he can’t have - and as of now, you’re what he can’t have. Or so he thinks. All he really has to do is act normal and rational - something he is apparently not capable of - for things to reach a happy medium that lies between him harassing you and you simply ignoring him. Unfortunate that the two of you had to try both options that lie on either side of peace. 

Nonetheless, you’ve managed to stick with your mission and endure all the constant attention-seeking he’s been doing, despite your annoyance. However, while you’ve been ignoring him you’ve managed to get back to your classes and continue your research on witches and spells as well as other supernatural creatures. You’re pretty sure you know enough to hold your own against the witches, especially with Seonghwa now on your side, and you can keep up with the possibility of the spell changing. 

And this came in handy when you realized the spell had changed yet again, luckily only affecting Seonghwa this time. You were getting ready to leave for class, but right as Seonghwa tried to walk out of the door he was suddenly stopped like he hit an invisible wall. The two of you looked at each other and you immediately knew what this meant: he was trapped inside your apartment. His eyes widened as he scrambled to stand up, smacking his hands against the barrier and grunting as he’s met with resistance each time.

You remember the way his red-black eyes pierced into yours, daring you to leave him stranded. At that moment you felt a pang of fear in your chest, but then you remembered you don’t owe him anything and you reached inside to grab the door and pull it closed. Seonghwa, out of impulse, grabbed your arm to keep you from leaving, but the spell worked it’s magic and gave him an invisible smack on the hand, forcing him to let go of you as you closed the door.

That is how your mornings have gone almost every day since. Seonghwa tests to see if the spell has changed so he can leave what he has started calling his dungeon, but every day he’s met with the same disappointing fate. Yesterday was the first day he didn’t even bother pulling himself off the couch and when you came home he was in the same position, quite honestly you’re not even sure if he left his spot. The same thing happened again this morning and he didn’t even spare a glance at you as you left; it’s like he’s completely given up. You know you promised yourself to ignore him and not to pay him any mind because the two of you are nothing more than business partners - in the weirdest sense - but your weak, sensitive heart can’t handle seeing anyone so hopeless, even a demon. 

That is why you stopped on your way home from class to pick up some food from a restaurant that you’ve never tried before, but you had noticed that Seonghwa would stare intently at the TV screen every time a commercial was playing to advertise the restaurant. You figured he wanted to try it, but he was just too stubborn to say anything, so you decided to give it a shot and just order two of whatever their most famous dish is. 

You unlock your door with a small smile on your face, hoping that the food will bring his spirits up and that maybe, just maybe, the two of you can finally have peace and harmony. You slip off your shoes and peek around the corner to see Seonghwa sitting in his usual spot on the couch. You hide the bags behind your body and slip into the room with a big smile on your face, staring at him until he lazily turns his head to look at you. He looks completely defeated and your heart yearns to fix it because even if he is the bane of your existence you just don’t want to see such a sad face on anyone. 

“Guess what? Guess what?” You ask him excitedly, skipping further into the room and stopping in front of the coffee table. 

He shrugs his shoulders, watching you bounce in place. “What?”

“I got you something,” you say, quickly showing him the bags before setting them on the coffee table and giving him a nervous smile. “I thought trying something new might lift your spirits, so I went to that restaurant you always drool over when the commercials come on. I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I just got their most popular items. But I can always go back again and get something different for you to try.” 

You finish rambling and drop to kneel before the coffee table as he continues watching you in silence. With his eyes on your every move, you shakily take the food out of the bags and set them out, placing one set of utensils on his side and opening your own. You’re hoping that if you start eating, then he’ll be tempted to join in as well and try some of the food. If this place doesn’t end up being good, you’re not sure what you’ll do. 

You finish almost half of your meal before Seonghwa even begins to open his and your heart beats faster, nervous about the outcome. You watch as he blows on a spoonful of his food and you open your mouth slightly, your body subconsciously anticipating the bite. He puts the spoon in his mouth and chews the bite slowly making you nervous enough to miss your mouth trying to eat your own food as you watch him intently. 

His eyes dart up to meet your own and you try to quickly act natural, putting your own spoon in your mouth, but glancing at him again as he goes in for another bite, humming this time as he chews. A smile lights up your face and you bounce slightly where you sit on the floor, excited that he seems to be enjoying your gift. 

“So is it good?”

He nods, humming once again as he shoves another bite in his mouth. Your smile grows impossibly wide and you squeal, surprising both of you. He turns his attention to you and you let out an awkward chuckle. 

“I’m glad you like it, I was nervous that it wouldn’t be right and then you’d be even more disappointed,” you explain, keeping your gaze on your food. 

“It’s good.”

“So you’re talking again?” You question with a hopeful lilt to your voice. 

“You’re not ignoring me anymore?” He questions back.

“I only did it because you basically called me soft and I wanted to show that I could stand up to you, which I did, and you didn’t like it. In fact, you were miserable.”

“Yeah, and you are soft, the fact that you got me food to cheer me up proves that point. But I wasn’t necessarily using that as an insult, it’s simply a fact. You care for other people which is part of the reason you have a pure soul,” he explains between bites of food and you watch him carefully, processing his words. 

“It was also revenge for your hatred toward me at the beginning, even though I didn’t deserve it,” you add, sending him a glare before continuing, “but now that it’s out of my system and, hopefully, your hatred is out of yours as well, we can come to an official truce and move forward as civil business partners. We’re a team whether we want to be or not. We can thank the witches for making that possible.”

“They are the bane of my existence,” he scoffs, aggressively scooping another bite of food and shoving it in his mouth. 

You chuckle and nod your head, pushing your food away slightly. “You and me both, demon dude.” He freezes, glancing up at you with furrowed brows and you shrug. “I like to give nicknames.”

He continues eating, continuously giving your food longing glances and you finally push it over to him. “What are you doing?”

“You’re checking out my food and I’m full so go for it.”

“Are you sure?”

You nod and he doesn’t waste another second, grabbing your food and immediately digging in. The speed at which he devours food is impressive as well as the way he manages to keep himself clean and not get the food everywhere.

This marked the beginning of the truce that the two of you had formed. From that day forward the two of you have peace within your relationship and your day-to-day lives become less stressful and tense. You’re on speaking terms, you’re not glued to the hip anymore, and you’re even on the road to friendship if everything stays as it is. 

Your life almost feels like it’s back to normal, but with a demon roommate of course. He helps cook, he even cleans - apparently, it’s something he greatly enjoyed in his life before becoming a demon. He still doesn’t let you know anything about himself - aside from that one fact that slipped out about cleaning - or what it’s like being a demon. Or what it’s like being in hell. You have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers, but you decided being patient would be the best route.

Everything seems to be going absolutely perfect until one day you come home and he flips out on you. You’re not sure why at first and you think he’s just having a bad day, but then he tells you and you can’t believe your ears. 

“What? Are you joking?”

“Does it sound like I’m joking? You absolutely reek of wet dog. I might gag,” he announces dramatically, pulling his shirt over his nose. “Why would you hang out with a werewolf when you’re currently living with a demon?” 

“How was I supposed to know he was a werewolf? I don’t go around asking people if they’re werewolves?”

“He? It’s a he? That’s why you smell so bad. I thought I hated female werewolves more because of the gossip, but God, the males are terrible. They smell awful, they’re always obnoxious, and they’re like overgrown dogs.”

“Look, I don’t know why this is such a big deal for you or why you hate all supernatural creatures, but he’s my friend and classmate so you’re going to have to get used to it,” you explain to him slowly, walking into the kitchen to get yourself a snack. 

“So you’re friends with a mutt? Wow and I thought we were supposed to be a team now,” he scoffs, throwing his hands in the air. 

You turn around, glaring at him. “Do not call him that. He’s not a mutt and that’s rude. You don’t even know him! And we are still a team, but you’re being ridiculous right now. We can still be a team even if I’m friends with him.”

“No, we can’t because most supernatural creatures don’t get along! Werewolves hate demons just as much as we hate them, I’m not the only problem here! We’ve been living in the same apartment for almost two months now, you have the demon scent all over you and he can smell it!”

“So what? Maybe, and I know this might surprise you, he’s a civil person that isn’t always trying to get into fights.” You raise your eyebrows at him and he inhales sharply through his nose.

“You’re the one causing this fight because you’re hanging around with a mutt. He’s not innocent, none of us are. All supernatural creatures have their own personal vendettas, whether it be against humans or other supernatural creatures. I guarantee your little friend is no different.”

“Well, why don’t you stop trying to control who I talk to or befriend and focus on yourself. I’ve lived my entire life without you, and as you said yourself, I’ve probably come in contact with many, many supernatural creatures before and nothing bad has happened yet.”

“Are you not listening? You’re not going to be the problem if he has one, it’s going to be me-”

“Yeah, it already is you.”

“Stop talking and listen, would you? I’m trying to say that werewolves hate demons and you have my scent all over you.”

You groan and run your hands through your hair in frustration. “You’re just repeating yourself.”

“Because you won’t let my words sink in. You’re not understanding the situation.”

“I’m understanding just fine, but I won’t be dragged into your little fights with every supernatural creature thank you very much. Now give me some space,” you tell him as you storm away to your room, shutting the door and leaning against it. 

You hear a loud noise and you assume Seonghwa is taking his frustration out on something, but you’re too exasperated to care. How many issues can one person deal with?


	5. Whatever It Takes

Seonghwa hasn’t left the guest room in two days and at first, you were relieved that you didn’t have to face him after the argument, but now that he’s going on his third day without leaving you’re becoming concerned. You’ve considered the simple option of knocking on his door and checking to see if he’s still alive - can demons even die? - but would that be simple? It feels like nothing with him is simple and the two of you can’t quite find a balance no matter what you do. 

You’ve also deeply considered the idea that he may be right, after all, he does know the supernatural world far more than you ever could and you want to believe that he’s telling the truth and looking out for you, but what if he’s wrong? What if he’s just trying to act like he’s looking out for you, but he’s actually accomplishing some personal agenda? 

The thoughts have been rolling around in your head constantly, but you can’t seem to come to a decision. You’re not fond of either option and you haven’t been able to think of any other ways to handle the situation, so, for now, you’re stuck walking around your silent apartment and questioning everything that happens. 

But the thing you might be the most frustrated with is the fact that ever since Seonghwa brought up this issue you’ve been distant and awkward with Yunho. The two of you had grown quite close, even texting one another outside of class, but now that Seonghwa gave you the massive warning you’ve had doubt lingering in your mind. 

However, every time the doubt makes an appearance in your mind you feel guilty because Yunho is incredibly sweet and he has been nothing but kind to you since the two of you met. He helps you with your homework, opens the door for you, smiles at anyone and everyone in hopes of making their day brighter; overall, he’s a really sweet guy. You’re not sure that he even deserves to be questioned because he has done nothing to elicit suspicion in your eyes. 

Of course, if Seonghwa is right - which you know he is because he could smell Yunho on you - then, Yunho must smell Seonghwa on you. If supernatural creatures have a distinct smell and they can detect the scent on humans, then there is no way that Yunho isn’t aware that you’re constantly around a demon. He has to know. But what you’ve come to determine is that he either assumes you don’t know you’re around a demon or that he simply doesn’t feel the need to have the conversation. Both answers would explain his silence on the topic and you’re happy to accept either answer as long as it allows the problem to go away. 

Truly you just want to have two friends that you can see in class and at home without any overlapping issues. Everything was finally peaceful and smooth in your life until Seonghwa discovered that Yunho is a werewolf. You’re not sure how to deal with the issue because quite honestly it shouldn’t be your problem. Seonghwa is the only one with a problem, as usual, and he’s trying to involve you. 

You push yourself off of the couch and storm to Seonghwa’s room, knocking on the door repeatedly. When you don’t receive an answer you take it upon yourself to speak your mind because you know he can hear you. 

“Seonghwa! Seonghwa, open the door or I’m yelling at you through it!” Still no answer. You sigh, then take a deep breath. “I understand that you’re frustrated and upset because you hate other supernatural creatures, and quite frankly, anyone that isn’t yourself, but you can’t be mad at me just because I’m friends with one. You said it yourself, I’ve probably been friends with plenty of supernatural creatures without even realizing it.”

You rest your hands on either side of the door frame and lean forward, staring at the carpet below your feet. “Look, I know this is an impossible situation because you can’t leave and you don’t want to smell a werewolf in the place you can’t escape, but you need to understand that this situation isn’t easy for me either. I can’t fix the smell and I can’t hold myself back from having friends, even if they’re supernatural, because we don’t know how long this spell is going to last. It could be weeks, months, years, the rest of my life, who knows. I can’t stop living just because of this spell.”

You fall silent and close your eyes, letting the moment settle. Minutes pass and the silence doesn’t lift, instead, it tightens around you until you have to take another deep breath, struggling to keep your nerves calm. Right as you’re ready to walk away the door opens just enough to show Seonghwa and you lift your head to watch his face. His eyes are downcast and his body is rigid, but he doesn’t look mad anymore. 

“I know.” You stand up straight and wait for him to continue. “I know that neither one of us are winners in this situation and as long as it’s happening we never will be because this is not the way we want to live, but I’m the one that’s trapped here. You may be bound to a demon, but I can’t leave this apartment and you’re the only person I’m in contact with. I’ve come to terms with that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want to be here and this isn’t my life.”

Your eyes never leave his face and his eyes never leave the ground. His jaw is set and his fingers tighten around the door, turning his knuckles white. “I don’t trust werewolves and most supernatural creatures for a reason. I’m a demon, but that doesn’t make the rest of them any less dangerous, cunning, and manipulative. You think I’m arrogant and egotistical? We all suffer from the same superiority complex. We all believe we’re better than humans because we can do more and werewolves are no different.”

This is the first time you meet his eyes and you begin to question yourself, wondering if you should believe him. You begin to question Yunho, wondering if he’s really who he portrays himself to be. You open your mouth to speak, but he beats you to it, holding eye contact as he says, “I can’t stop you from doing anything as long as I’m stuck here, but I won’t change how I feel just because of your friend. I don’t like it, I don’t support it, and I don’t like him. Your life, your choice, I don’t care, but I’m not leaving this room as long as you’re friends with him.”

With that, he steps back into his room and shuts the door in your face. You stand there with teary eyes and an open mouth, letting his words run through your head as you process the conversation. Your chest is tight and your shoulders feel heavy, clear signs that you’re upset, though you’re not sure why. You hate that he’s upset with you and telling you that he’s going to avoid you, but you don’t know why. 

The door opens quickly, just enough to show half of Seonghwa’s body. “And as long as you’re around him I’m requesting that you spray perfume on yourself and get me air fresheners for my room because I won’t suffocate on the smell of wet dog as long as I’m trapped here.” The door all but slams in your face, blowing your hair off your shoulders.

You stand hurt, confused, and alone in the hallway of your own apartment after being lectured by the demon that you’re bound to. When did your life become so complicated? You crumple into a ball outside his door and let the tears of frustration fall freely as you hold yourself. There is no rule book on how to interact and understand supernatural creatures, let alone live and intermingle with them. There is no right answer and if there is you sure as hell can’t manage to figure it out. 

You’re not sure how long you lay outside of his door, crying quietly to yourself, but when you finally drag yourself to bed your eyes are swollen and your throat is sore. This isn’t how you imagined the conversation going and now you feel worse than you did before. You fall asleep with Seonghwa’s voice in your mind, along with one prevailing thought: how do I fix this?

————————————

The next morning you wake up with a headache and you lay in bed for longer than usual, abandoning any ideas about actually getting ready for class. When you eventually manage to roll out of bed you look like a disaster, but you ignore your reflection and move out into the hallway. You stop and pout outside Seonghwa’s closed door for a minute, staring at the wood through sleepy, blurry eyes. 

You take a deep breath and let it out slowly, trudging into the bathroom and quickly brushing your teeth, pretending not to notice your frizzy hair and the dark circles under your eyes. You make a face at yourself in the mirror, glaring into your own eyes. This entire situation has you frustrated enough to pull your hair out, but you sigh and move to the kitchen where you pour yourself a glass of orange juice and sit at the table to contemplate life. 

Seonghwa made some good points yesterday that you never stopped to consider. His words have changed your entire view on the spell and the relationship between you and Seonghwa. The spell is completely aimed at him, forcing him to be held hostage in the home of a human. He can’t leave, he was trapped in a book, he has a punishment to return to in hell; his immortal existence is admittedly miserable.

You’re tempted to avoid Yunho until you can think of a solution that will fix everything, but a part of you doesn’t want to give in and risk your friendship with him. You drop your head in your hand and clutch your forehead in frustration. Why is this so difficult? You finish off your glass of orange juice and push away from the table.

As soon as you enter the class you try to make yourself as small as possible and avoid Yunho’s gaze at all costs, but the second you step foot over the threshold, his head tilts. If he was a dog his ears would be perked up. His head whips around and he flashes you his big, bright smile that usually lifts your spirit instantly. All you can manage is a partial smile and you can see the flash of disappointment in his eyes. 

This is too hard for you already. You can’t do it. You just want to have both of them in your life without any issues, and you really don’t want to have to make a decision. If you hurt either of them… that’s not an option. Whatever it takes.

Within a second you’ve made your decision and you give Yunho a big smile in return. His brows furrow, reflecting the confusion that you’re sure he feels and when you slide into the seat next to him, his head tilts once again. A cute habit that you’ve noticed; you’re not sure if it’s a human habit or a werewolf habit. 

“What’s wrong? You seem upset.” His eyes search your face quickly. “Did something happen? Are you mad at me?” His eyes soften until he looks like an injured puppy and your heart melts.

“I just have a lot on my mind. No biggie.” 

He knows you’re lying, you can see it in his face. He’s hurt that you’re lying to him, possibly believing that you don’t trust him, and he’s not entirely wrong because you’re not sure what to believe anymore. You don’t know where you stand with Yunho or Seonghwa, but you know what they mean to you. You’re going to fight for both of them.

“Is it really ‘no biggie’? Do you need to talk?” 

“Yunho, it’s really sweet that you’re offering, but I have to get through it on my own. Thank you, though, I’ll keep your offer in mind.” You reach over and squeeze his hand, enjoying the small source of contact before pulling away. 

But Yunho doesn’t let your hand get far. He pulls it back to his side of the table and slips his fingers through yours and giving a small squeeze back. “You might not want to talk, but even silent support is better than nothing.”

It’s in that moment that you believe Seonghwa may be wrong. You’re not going to try to change his mind because he has his opinions and he has had his experiences, but you’re not going to let a perfectly good friendship slip away just because he’s had bad experiences in the past. You’ll just have to play it safe and careful; spray perfume before you enter the apartment, don’t talk about Yunho to Seonghwa, and don’t let Yunho anywhere near your apartment. 

You’re not sure what Seonghwa is capable of and you’re not keen on the idea of watching Seonghwa torture Yunho in your living room. Though you don’t know anything about Yunho’s power or capabilities and he might be able to hold his own against Seonghwa. In fact, he may even beat Seonghwa if anything physical ever occurs. 

You shake your head, trying to rid yourself of those thoughts. There will be no fighting because they won’t meet. You’ll do anything in your power to make sure that there are no further conflicts regarding your friendship with Yunho. 

———————————

“How is it going? Do they suspect anything?”

The three men walk through the park casually, passing by strangers - mortals - that don’t suspect a thing. But how could they? The men blend in so well, just like every other supernatural species. They walk among mortals every day, so no one would ever suspect a thing. 

“They know some things, but not enough to fully understand. We have time, but not much. We might need to move fast.”

The shortest of the three nods his head and turns to his colleagues and friends. He stares out at the park, thinking. “Keep doing what you’re doing and when you feel that the time is right, call us and we’ll begin the plan. You’re doing great.”

“Thank you. But I can’t take all the credit because it’s really easy when the other guy is involved. They get distracted easily.”

The three of them chuckle as they continue their walk, enjoying the sunlight and contemplating the plan.


End file.
